I’ll be hosting two workshops at the Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference in Memphis this Wednesday through Saturday. For the full 411, just go to folk.org. This is the best music conference of the year. Don’t miss it.

I’m also chair of the Lifetime Achievement Awards which will be presented Wednesday at 6 PM Central to the Harry Belafonte, Robert Johnson, and the Highlander Center.

I’ll look forward to seeing you all there.

FRIDAY
2:00pm
STUDY: The Highlander Center (Chattanooga)
For 80 years, the Highlander Center has been a progressive oasis in the
mid-South. As such, the history of the Highlander Center, one of this year’s
LAA recipients, is tied to folk and traditional music. From the outset,
Highlander integrated cultural work into all its programs, helping spread
songs like “We Shall Overcome” from striking tobacco workers in the 1940’s
to civil rights leaders in Nashville in 1960, after which it spread across
the globe. Over the years, Highlander’s work has been central to the union
movement, the civil rights movement, the struggle for economic justice in
Appalachia, the environmental movement, and international struggles against
globalization. And through it all, figures like Zilphia Horton, Guy and
Candie Carawan, and Jane Sapp have used music, drama, dance, and stories to
help empower ordinary people in their work for social justice. The Center
continues to provide education and resources for activists across the South
and around the world.
Hosted by: Art Menius artmenius.com
Pam McMichael, The Highlander Center

SATURDAY
1:30pm
Voices from the Cultural Battlefront Session (Chattanooga)
Our Voices from the Cultural Battlefront session continues our work of the
past four years providing a safe space for talking and working together
concerning the meaning of artistic endeavor and the role of artists in
social activism. Voices revolves around the concept that when commerce becomes more important than culture, society atrophies. Hosted by Art Menius Art Menius at your Service

Among many other great sessions Louis has lined up for us this year, I would
also like to point out:
FRIDAY 11:00 AM
Activism (Heritage 4)
What does it mean to be an activist in today’s society?
Dave Marsh, Journalist (m)
Eliza Gilkyson, Artist

Meanwhile, Andy Cohen is organizing an action in solidarity with Occupy Memphis